Recent reviews by Jake The Snake

This game manages to wrap all of the things I look for in traditional JRPGs into one small package. It's interesting seeing how it makes you strategize, since you play as the NPCs instead of the heroes. I think that this actually does a better job of representing the ideal JRPG gameplay than many JRPGs, since you can't just be a super-powered hero and smash everything without a thought.

If you want the joys of playing a JRPG without wanting to commit to starting another epic journey, or if you're intrigued by the reversed plot of playing NPCs, then this is the game for you.

TL;DR - If you're up for a new take on the JRPG experience, give this a try.

Disclaimer: I was given a Steam key for this game so that I could try it ahead of time and write a review on the release date, but I did so because I support this developer, not for the promise of future keys.

This is a pretty good game, but it has its flaws. Before getting into the gameplay, it took a little while just to get comfortable with the controls. They're not complicated, and there was a (very) brief explanation at the beginning, but I was expecting to just start playing this like other JRPGs I've played, and that didn't work. There are other things that confused me at the beginning as well, like how the coins that I was collecting weren't accumulating in my gold pouch (they turned out to be "points", not "gold"), and how I couldn't walk through shady parts of the grass (though I think this is fixed now). This game is interesting in that it is both very similar to other JRPGs yet at the same time very different.

The combat includes features present in many other games, but has one defining feature that makes it play in a completely new way. Each battle will award one to three stars for winning. This is a game without random encounters, just enemies that you can see and choose to fight, so that means that there are a specific number of stars obtainable in the game. Monsters can be refought for XP and gold, but stars are only awarded during the first battle. One star is awarded just for winning the battle, one is for winning without taking too much damage, and one is for winning in a set number of turns. These limits are set per battle, so boss battles are more gracious with the turns and lost health allowed. With these restrictions in place, you are no longer just fighting a battle to win, but you are fighting a battle to win it quickly while taking few hits. At first, this might sound like it would be really annoying, but luckily this feature comes with a second: you may restart a battle at any time without consequence, even a boss battle. So if you're fighting and you miss and have to take an extra turn, or the enemy crits and does too much damage, you're not automatically out a star, you just have to restart the battle. Restarting also helps for being able to try out new skills and test out new enemies/bosses. This game changes combat from grinding to efficiency optimization.

As I said earlier, the controls take some getting used to. I should point out that I've only tried using a keyboard (and a mouse a little bit) so far. Everything works well enough, but it's not super intuitive. For example, to equip weapons or accessories, you have to go to the Miscellaneous submenu. To cancel or go back, you have to either press Escape, which isn't reachable without moving your hand, or right-click. There is no diagonal movement, and if multiple directions are pressed at once, the vertical direction wins. (This may be a problem with the engine itself.) There are actually two main menus that are opened by two separate keys. It all works, it's just not normal.

That's the thing about this game: it's not normal. If you want a normal JRPG, look elsewhere. This game has all of the features of a JRPG, but it's very light. There are weapons, but you'll rarely actually have to make a choice as to which one to use. There are optional sidequests; well, one or two, at least. (I've only played through the first two stages so far.) There is hidden treasure to find, though all treasure chests are marked out on your minimap. There is combat, but it doesn't feel very complex. As I explained above, the complexity to the battles is a meta-complexity rather than mentally calculating numbers or massive item use. This is a fun game, but you have to be willing to explore something new.

I've mostly talked about what's awkward so far, but now let's cover the simple stuff. I like the art style, personally. You can see for yourself from the screenshots what it's like. This is a very light-hearted game, and the art styled matches that feeling well. The music is pleasant, but nothing spectacular. The broad storyline seems pretty commonplace, from the little I've seen, but the details to the storyline keep it interesting. The humour is very enjoyable, though it probably wouldn't be for everyone. There is an option in the settings to eliminate suggestive humour, but that seems to be about all there is. ;) The main character is pretty mundane, as most main characters tend to be, but the other party characters are all pretty creative and interesting.

I'm glad I started playing this and will continue to the end. In an age where so many video games are made to fit a mold, it is refreshing to watch this developer try out new things - some that work in really cool ways, and some that should probably be scrapped. What I love about how this developer implements ideas is that he always keeps things easy for the user. If you want to explore a new take on JRPGs, give this game a try.